


Character Studies and Snippets

by malhagie



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-04-07 00:36:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19073920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malhagie/pseuds/malhagie
Summary: These are little snippets I wrote awhile ago of my characters interacting with the trc characters. They are fragmented and unfinished. I find these rather embarrassing but hopefully others can enjoy them too.Chapter 1: Ronan Rents a FarmhouseChapter 2: Greenmantle gets a new hitmanChapter 3: Opal's encounter with the neighboors





	1. Ronan Rents a Farmhouse

When Adam left for college Ronan found that he was to lonely to live without him so he went house hunting. He managed to find the perfect place.

It was less than a thirty-minute drive from Adam’s college, and more impressive it was close to a ley-line. It was an incredibly lucky find. He wouldn’t have even considered it if it weren’t for the location.

It was near a ley-lines and a good ten-minute drive to the nearest place that could barely call itself a village. A two-story farmhouse completely isolated from the outside world and surrounded by lush green forests, grazing land, and rustling corn.

It was a perfect as Ronan could hope for.

He still wasn’t sure how he managed to find the place. 

The owner, a younger man in his twenties and put up posters for it, without permission, on nearly every bulletin board on Adam’s college campus. Most have them had been noticed and removed, but Adam, as observant as always had noticed the posters.

Or maybe it had just been the call of the ley-line, reaching out it to him. It’s magic drawing him in like a bee to a flower.

Ronan had driven up to it late one restless night, the purloined poster folded up neatly in the cup holder, where Adam had left it.

Adam did not fully understand, why he had grabbed the poster, except that the felt right. It reminded him of the feeling of stepping into Cabeswater, a feeling like he was a little closer to home.

Ronan surveyed the property moonlight and the headlights of his BMW. It was a normal old farm house, many similar ones also dotted the surrounding countryside. It’s white siding was beginning to crack and peel. The yard was in need of a mower and what was left of the small garden outfront had a weed whacker taken to it. A small garage sat nearby, large enough to barely fit the BMW. A decrepit barn sat a good distance away, the surrounded land growing tall grass. The barn was rotting and brown, large holes in the walls, the roof, and the large doors showed nothing but darkness within.

Ronan waited a sleepless night until morning before reluctantly dialing the photocopied number into his rarely used cell phone.

It was answered on the second ring, right before Ronan lost his corrage.

“Hello,” the voice on the other end answered, offering up nothing else.

Ronan swallowed down the unease in his throat. He had to talk to this person, he had to be close to Adam, and no way would he be able to ask Gansey to do this for him, no matter how willing he would be.

“I’m calling about the house you have for rent,” Ronan spoke into the phone, trying to keep the venom in his voice to a minimum.

“Oh,” the voice on the other end perked up, “I’d never thought I’d find someone. Tell me when you can swing buy and I’ll meet you there.”

Ronan gave a time a half and hour later, he didn’t want the property owner to know he was already there and sped down small, shitty country roads in the surrounding area.

He pulled up and was greeted by a man smoking a cigarette, leading against a rusty pickup truck in the gravel driveway. He had blonde hair beneath his dirty baseball cap, beat up cowboy boot, and stained blue jeans.

Someone who Blue would describe as the other type of country people, the Robert Parrish type of country people.

As Ronan pulled up, he scraped the cherry off his cigarette and returned it to his pocket.

“Nice car ya got there,” he said eyeing it with a lopsided grin.

He began to approach the BMW and Ronan quickly got out, slamming the door with force.

Ronan looked down his nose with a venomous sneer and was met with an amiable grin. This man was not intimidated, his green eyes held Ronan’s blue ones without a hint of fear or caution.

“I’m Layton Henderson,” he offered out his cigarette stained hand.

“Ronan Lynch,” reluctantly shaking the man’s hand. 

“Well, why don’t I show you the house,” Layton said, producing a jingling set of keys and striding up the brick walkway to the front door.

Ronan followed him in and Layton launched into and informative speech about the house.

“It’s old and may look like shit, but I promise it’s clean. Maybe a little dusty, but clean. The house has got quite a lot of character, which is just another way of saying it makes strange noises and has a lot of different colored stains. Not all the doors fit in there frames anymore, so don’t go around slamming them.

“It’s a gas stove and a gas furnace, natural gas. I trust you won’t blow the place up. Your water comes from an underground well. It needs to be filtered and softened. You’ll have to change the filters and supply the water softener as long as you are here. You’ll also be covering the power bill yourself. You can get internet and satellite, the hardware’s already installed, but coverage is patchy out here.

Layton led Ronan through the house. The first story was a living room, a kitchen, a pantry, and a small bathroom. Upstairs held a larger bathroom with a clawfoot tub, two bedrooms, a room that could have been a bedroom or a closet and a small sitting area at the top of the stairs.

The entire house creaked, moaned, and complained and every surface was stained. But it was better than an apartment and the best Ronan could do.

Finally they descended back down the skinny creaking staircase. 

“Now, this part is important,” Layton said, “I’m only renting you the house, not the land. The land you rent goes are far as the grass is mowed. Past that it’s my property, and if you are on it you are trespassing.

“And if you get out far enough you will be on my neighbor’s property and you will also be trespassing, and their the shoot first ask questions later type of folk.

“I’m serious though, don’t mess with the neighbors they’re crazy.”

Layton smiled.

“I have the renter’s agreement right here,” he produced a folded-up piece of paper from his breast pocket, “I need two months’ worth of rent as a security deposit and you’ll be already to go.”

“Two month’s rent,” Ronan spat, “That’s ridiculous!”

“This land is my livelihood, and my rent is cheap. It’s non negotiable, if you’re not gonna pay then get off my property,” Layton pointed to the door,

Ronan ground his teeth together.

“Fine,” he spat, “Is cash fine?”

“Splendid,” Layton managed to smile wider, “Sign here and she’s yours.”

Ronan scribbled out his signature and handed Layton the stack full of bills.

He carefully counted them out before accepting them.

“What do you not trust me or something?” Ronan demanded.

“No of course not,” Layton said, “See ya round neighbor.”

He tipped his hat and let himself out.

Ronan struggled to gather his breathing as Layton’s truck rumbled to life and roared away.


	2. The Greenmantles' and Angelica

Colin Greenmantle needed to hire a new hitman, what he didn’t tell Piper was that he actually hired a new hitwoman. She did not discover this until the woman in question was standing in their foyer as Greenmantle stroked his ego, showing off a rare and haunted artifact.

She was immaculate. Her hair a pale bond, cut so that it just danced over her shoulders. The strands at the front hang slightly lower, and swatch of shimmering bangs rests over her forehead. Her body is perfect, all lean muscles and perfect curves. 

She’s perfect, too perfect. A mirror image of Piper, if Piper were as lean and dangerous as she wanted to be.

Piper makes an annoyed noise, much like the sneeze of a small dog. Greenmantle turns to her with a shining smile on his face. The drags her icy gaze of Piper’s husband and on to Piper.

***

The hitwoman is out on the patio of the pool, she’s wearing a red bikini and reading a book. Piper is personally insulted; the pool was specifically built so that she and no one else could do that exact thing.

Piper put on her red bikini, picked up her book, and strutted out to the patio. She stalked up to the hitwoman like a model hunting its prey down the runway.

Angelica was the name she had given Greenmantle. Angelic were her looks, but little else about her was holy.

Piper wore a cherry red bikini, Angelica wore a blood red one. 

“You’re in my spot,” Piper huffed.

“Am I?” Angelica asked, looking up from her book, a pale blonde eyebrow appearing above her mirrored aviators.

“Yes,” Piper said, she pulled Angelica’s book from her hands, it was in another language and heavily annotated. She tossed it into the pool behind her. 

Angelica crossed her arms behind her head, an expression of amusement on her face. Slowly she turned her head so that Piper’s reflection stared back at her in the silvered surface of her sunglasses.

“You’re breasts sag more than mine and you are not as muscular as me,” Angelica remarked, “Also I believe I am older than you, which makes those statements even more impressive.”

Piper scowled down at her, she poured her energy into it, anything to not let her see how exactly Angelica had hit the nail on the head.

“You threw my book in the pool. I thought I would return the favor,” She said, unfolding her long limbs and getting out the chair.

She passes by Piper with a gust of air and dives into the pool as graceful as a swan. 

Piper swallows.

“Oh, Piper look!” Angelica says behind her. “It was printed on water resistant paper with non-water-soluble ink. There’s no damage whatsoever.”

“Unlike somethings,” Angelica hums under her breath as she glides through the pool. Piper sets her jaw hard to keep it from trembling.

Angelica climbed out of the pool, flipping her hair and flicking water off of the book, splattering Piper in the process.


	3. Opal's encounter with the neighboors

Opal of course, loved the shitty little farm house.

Adam was less impressed. Gansey thought it was quaint. Blue’s opinion was closer to Gansey’s, she just didn’t feel like it had any character though. It didn’t feel lived in, an empty shell.

Opal desperately wanted to go exploring. Ronan didn’t know if he should bother to repeat Layton’s warning about the neighbors. He just told her to stay by the house, he knew she knew better.

Opal went outside to play. She didn’t want to stay within the confines of the hot little yard with its short-mowed grass. She wanted to go explore the forest, but she did what Kerah said and stayed within the confines of the yard.

She managed until she noticed two human girls staring at her in the distance.

They were near the decrepit old barn. They were twins, with the same chocolate brown hair. Opal stared at them and they stared back.

“That must be Layton’s renters,” Mahgie offered.

“Don’t be stupid, only adults can rent things,” Malhagie returned.

“I know that, maybe it’s one of his renter’s kids, stupid,” Mahgie retorted.

“I don’t think it’s a kid,” Malhagie said.

“Don’t be stupid, what else would it be!” Mahgie did her best impression of a goat baying.

“Hi!” Opal called out to them, waving her arms excitedly.

“What do we do now, if she’s not supposed to leave the property can we still go on it?” Malhagie asked.

“Of course, not stupid, that would be trespassing. Didn’t you hear Layton and Auntie Lia talking about the contract?” Mahgie explained.

“Stop calling me stupid or I’ll make you stupid!” Malhagie picked up one of the rotting boards that had fallen off the barn and swung it at her sister’s head.

Mahgie dodged the half-hearted blow.

“Do you wanna play?” Opal asked.

“She’s walking across the grass now,” Malhagie said.

“She’s about to trespass,” Mahgie said, with a mischievous smile.

The twins watched as the blonde girl’s booted feet stepped off the manicured lawn and into the uncut weeds.

The twins shared a look.

“Hi, I’m Opal, I live here now with Kerah. He’s visiting a friend at college and were staying here until he’s done with college and comes back home.”

“My name is Malhagie,” Mahgie said.

“My name is Mahgie,” Malhagie said.

“What game are you guys playing? Can I play too?” Opal smiled at them. “I’ve never got to play with other kids before, I’m so happy to meet you.”

Mahgie did her goat impression again.

Opal beamed at them. She stepped through the knee-high grass and weeds, her bright red rubber rain boots shining in the sun.

The twins stared in fascination. Rainboots looked a lot more comfortable than fighting with Papa halfway upside down as he duct-taped their pant legs to the shoes to prevent them from getting ticks and who-knows what on their legs and in their shoes.

“We’re playing 20 questions,” Malhagie explained, “The first question is if Malhagie is fast enough.” She swung the board at her sister again.

“Yes!” Mahgie screamed as she dodged again, “Second question: is Mahgie stupid enough to fall for it?”

“Fall for what?”

“This!” Mahgie body-slammed her sister to the ground.

“Okay,” Malhagie stood up, “The next question is for you Opal: are you a demon?”

“What?” Opal asked.

“You lost,” Mahgie said at the same time as Malhagie screamed “Loser!”

“Can’t answer a question with a question!”

“Are you a demon, or not stupid?”

Opal was getting confused as to who was who.

“No! I am not a demon! I just have goat legs, that doesn’t make me evil!”

“We should tell Papa.” Mahgie said to her sister.

“Do you want to meet a vampire?” Malhagie asked.

“If you’re really not a demon prove it!” Mahgie said, “Show us your hooves goat girl.”

This time Malhagie attempted to mimic a goat.

Angry, Opal sat down and pulled off her rainboots, exposing her hooved feet. For a few moments of silence none of the girls moved. The twins in shock by the reveal and Opal proud to disprove the accusation.

In that moment Mahgie and Malhagie were both struck by the same idea. Each girl grabbed one red boot and ran in different directions.

Mahgie ran to her grandfather and Malhagie ran for Layton’s house.

“She was trespassing I saw her!” Malhagie screamed, banging the boot against Layton’s back door, “Trespasser!”

“Jesus Christ,” Layton said, opening the door and stopping the boot in mid-swing “it’s not that big of a deal, Maggie, or Magie or whatever your name is.”

“Yes, it is! You let a demon onto your property!”

“Wait a second, did you steal that kid’s boot?” he attempted to take the boot from Malhagie’s hands, but she was too fast for him.

“Just look inside! That isn’t a normal human girl!” Malhagie.

“Papa! Papa! Papa!” Mahgie screamed as she raced into her grandfather’s house, “Me and Malhagie found a demon! Layton is renting his house out to a demon!”


End file.
